Corporate sponsorship proposal for education nonprofit

Proposal to The ING Foundation
“The Regional Economics Challenge presented by ING”
A Teamwork-focused Economics and Personal Finance Academic Competition
Amount Requested: $100,000
Date: May 13, 2004
Project Overview
An understanding of economics and personal finance is crucial to the success of future
generations. Without an understanding of the importance of savings, careful investing and the
necessity of maintaining hard-earned credit, young people are unlikely to become knowledgeable
consumers, responsible citizens and effective participants in the global economy. Yet, all too
often, students opt against classes in the “dismal science” of economics, diminishing not only
their knowledgebase, but also their future participation in the global economy.
However, the National Council on Economic Education is working to reverse that trend.
Through the five high-stakes Regional Economics Challenges, students are rewarded for taking
economics classes with the opportunity to use their knowledge to compete for $1,000 U.S.
Savings Bonds and an all-expenses paid trip to the National Economics Challenge in New York
City; the runner-up teams and their teachers receive $500 U.S. Savings Bonds. The National
Economics Challenge Champions and their teachers receive $3,000 U.S. Savings Bonds; the
runner-up teams and their teachers receive $1,500 U.S. Savings Bonds.
Open to high school economics students, youth compete in one of two divisions: the Adam
Smith division for students who have enrolled in Advanced Placement, honors, year-long or
International Baccalaureate courses; and the David Ricardo Division, for students enrolled in a
one-semester economics course.
Much like a marathon prompts people to improve their abilities through long-term planning and
training, the Regional Economics challenge is a competition that does not allow for last minute
cramming, but requires careful study and success in all rounds of the competition. Competing in
the Regional Finals is limited to teams who have already won their respective state finals and is
truly a competition for the best and brightest.
The Competition Format
The Economics Challenge program runs on a school year schedule. Publicizing the event begins
in January after the winter vacation. States organize their local competitions into the spring and
the Regional Challenges generally occur at the end of April.
For 2005, the regional divisions are as follows:
Region 1, Northeast: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont
Region 2, Southeast: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio,
South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia
Region 3, Midwest: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska,
Oklahoma, Texas

Region 4, Northwest: Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Wisconsin and Wyoming
Region 5, West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon,
Utah and Washington
The event itself offers a balanced mix of both teamwork and individual competition. Working
individually, students compete through two rounds of written questions on macro and
microeconomics and then work together in their teams to answer written multiple-choice
questions on current events, financial literacy, and economic history and theory. Their hard work
culminates in a teamwork-focused Quiz Bowl round with multiple-choice questions on current
events, economic theory and personal economics.
Although teamwork is often emphasized in group sports, the less physically gifted and more
academic students are generally left out of such lessons. The Economics Challenge teaches these
youth the importance of teamwork in the quest for the correct answer and in the challenge of
working with others to answer complex economics and personal finance questions.
Public Relations and Branding Strategy
We propose to work closely with ING to determine ideal communities for hosting the five
Regional Challenges. Each community will be chosen based on the strengths and capacity of the
NCEE-affiliated State Councils and Centers; the diversity of its population, the extensiveness of
its media outlets and proximity to local ING offices or headquarters. Possible locations include:
Northeast: New York, Hartford, CT or West Chester, PA
Southeast: Atlanta, GA or Nashville, TN
Midwest: Denver, CO; Des Moines, IA or St. Louis, MO
Northwest: Minneapolis, MN or Detroit, MI
West: Scottsdale, AZ or Los Angeles, CA
With five branded Regional Challenges, the opportunities for publicity and branding are virtually
limitless. The NCEE will pursue an aggressive public relations strategy aimed at publicizing the
Regional Challenge at the local, state and regional levels through a campaign of press releases
and personal media contacts. Unlike one-shot events, having five Regional Challenges offers the
impressive benefit of multiple market branding, ensuring the ability to obtain media attention in
both small and large markets and receive national exposure. The Regional Challenge will be
publicized in cities and towns as youth compete in their State competitions and again as State
winners continue onto the Regional competition. Additionally, the NCEE’s unique nationwide
network of more than 200 affiliated State Councils and University-based Centers for Economic
Education ensures that aggressive marketing can and will occur in otherwise difficult to
approach markets.
With the approval of ING, the NCEE would like to publicly announce and honor the Regional
Economics Challenge partnership by hosting the inaugural NCEE/ ING Regional Economics
Challenge in Atlanta, possibly at the ING Headquarters. “Kicking-off” the Regional Challenges
with the Atlanta site will guarantee publicity not only for the announcement of the sponsorship in
the media, but also attention to the actual event and ING’s support of educational excellence.
The NCEE would ask that senior executives from ING participate in the event either by

emceeing one of the Quiz-bowl rounds or by participating in the awarding of the Southeast
Regional Championship.
In anticipation of the announcement, a detailed event strategy will be developed to generate as
much local press coverage as possible, both in print and on television for all five regions. The
ING logo will be included on all printable materials related to the Regional Challenge, including
the fliers, advertisements, press releases and all signs. At the Regional Challenges, ING
promotional items, including t-shirts and caps, can be offered as premiums to students and
teachers who attend the competition.
For action photography of the quiz bowl aspect of the competition, the NCEE will ensure the
ING logo is prominently displayed behind the emcee and participants. Mention of ING’s support
will also be highlighted in articles in the quarterly NCEE newsletter as well as in our on-line
annual report and links to the ING website from the NCEE webpage will also be posted.
In the past NCEE has employed a very successful high-impact public relations campaign for the
National Economics Challenge. Media coverage last year included CBS Marketwatch, CNNfn,
PBS “Right on the Money;” and more than five dozen hits in local markets. For any and all press
generated by the Regional Economics Challenges in 2005, ING would be mentioned as a
sponsor. Additionally, with a targeted media campaign, we only expect publicity to increase.
Volunteer opportunities for ING employees are numerous with this event. Employees could offer
to tutor or mentor competing students, help with the supervision of the participants on the day of
the competition, assist with the judging and announce the award winners. Hosting the
competitions in cities and towns with a strong ING volunteer team presence can also be arranged
in order to ensure active ING involvement.
Evaluation & Impact
In the past four years, the Economics Challenge has grown and attracted increased media
attention and student involvement. In 2001, 1400 students from 188 high schools in 22 states
competed for the National Championship. By the 2003 competition, involvement had increased
by more than 157% to 3600 students on over 900 teams from 28 states. As the competition enters
its fifth year, more than 4500 youth from 35 states are expected to participate.
NCEE: The Nation’s Leading Service Provider and Advocate for Economic Literacy
The National Council on Economic Education was founded as an independent, nonpartisan,
nonprofit organization 55 years ago by business leaders and educators who saw the need to
improve economic and personal finance education in the nation’s schools. NCEE’s mission is to
help all students develop the real-life skills they need to succeed: to be able to think and choose
as knowledgeable consumers, savers and investors, responsible citizens, productive members of
the workforce, and effective participants in a global economy.
To this end, NCEE conducts three core programs: EconomicsAmerica for the nation’s schools;
EconomicsInternational for teacher training in other countries; and EconomicsExchange for
lifelong learning. Within its EconomicsAmerica program, NCEE’s primary goal is to get sound
economics and personal financial decision-making skills taught effectively and well throughout
the K-12 curriculum. NCEE develops and publishes print and Web-based, classroom-tested,

standards-based instructional materials for every grade level. The Economics Challenge
competition allows students to show their mastery of the EconomicsAmerica material.
There are several key factors that differentiate NCEE from most other economic and financial
education organizations. The first and most important is our highly effective, nationwide
network of affiliated State Councils and over 200 University-based Centers for Economic
Education. This distribution system is the way we get our educational programs into the hands,
and heads, of thousands of teachers and millions of students each year. This model is particularly
effective for increasing the number of students who participate in the Economics Challenge each
year and in offering members of the media easy access to local spokespeople.
The second key factor is our teacher training model. We strongly believe that the best way to
educate students is by training the teachers to effectively teach the students. The emphasis on
teacher training takes advantage of a powerful multiplier effect. Through each teacher trained,
NCEE programs reach an average of 150 students per year at the high school level. Again, by
reaching out to teachers, the NCEE is able to increase participation in the Economics Challenge
and establish a large contingency of supporters for the program.
NCEE is also an exceptional steward of both public and private resources, and has a strong track
record in the area of administrative and financial soundness, as evidence by a strong governance
structure at the Board of Directors level; a long record of receiving unqualified opinions from
independent auditors; strong managerial and internal controls in terms of financial and
administrative checks and balances; and a low administrative-and-fundraising/total expense
ratio. In 2002 and 2001 (the most recent years for which audited results are available), this ratio
stood at 17.6% and 20%, respectively, considerably below industry standards.
NCEE benefits from stable and dynamic leadership, at the Board and Executive staff level.
Serving as President and Chief Executive Officer for the NCEE is Dr. Robert F. Duvall, who
came to NCEE in the spring of 1995. Prior to joining NCEE, he was President of Pacific
University in Oregon for twelve years. Under his strong and strategic leadership NCEE has
grown as the preeminent national organization promoting economic and financial literacy.
Under Dr. Duvall’s direction, revenues for NCEE’s pace-setting programs in economic and
financial literacy have increased 300% from 1995 to 2003. Dr. Duvall has become a national,
and international, spokesman for the cause of improving economic and financial education, as a
core component of the K-12 curriculum. Since 1995, he has represented the interests of NCEE
and our corporate partners eloquently and enthusiastically. Dr. Duvall is always personally
involved in the Economics Challenge and attends both State, Regional and National
competitions.